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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29599107">Universal Experiences</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/childoffantasy/pseuds/childoffantasy'>childoffantasy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ciri has a crush, Ciri's Witcher Training, F/F, Femslash February, Femslash February 2021, Gen, Hands, Kaer Morhen, Netflix Triss, One-Sided Attraction, Teacher-Student Relationship, Unrequited Crush, digressions on how the witchers all dote on Ciri</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:07:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,385</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29599107</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/childoffantasy/pseuds/childoffantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>This openness and affection between the Witchers and their charge did however throw into some relief the shyness that overcame the usually gregarious Ciri during her lessons with Triss.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Any other wlw's out there ever have this <em>one lady</em> who you really looked up to for some reason as a kid for <em>some reason</em>? I wrote Ciri having a big baby gay crush on Triss who had some of those of her own back in the day. Written for the prompt "hands". It's entirely unrequited, I pitched all the weird skeevy dynamics from canon directly out the window, I promise.</p><p>For Femslash February 2021</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon &amp; Triss Merigold</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Universal Experiences</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Not too much of a chatty note today, most of it went in the summary. It's all very light on the "slash" part of femslash, but this sure is a wlw experience imo so I reckon it fits the theme.</p><p>I'm a bit surprised the "hands" prompt only really showed up in one paragraph? But that's how writing goes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ciri was a good child, enthusiastic and generous, and trained to self-control in the manner of noble scions, though that last was morphing rapidly in this keep full of Wolves, despite the presence of a Griffin to make a good faith effort at courtly manners. Triss would occasionally sit in to watch her lessons in swordplay or monster identification, nominally to ensure the Witchers didn’t push her too hard as they had at first, but more in order to be sociable and get these new allies used to her unfamiliar presence. Among other things, sorceresses, and specifically those with placements at court had to be skilled at reading the dynamics of any given interpersonal situation, including how people felt about them, and accordingly Triss observed.</p><p>The grown Witchers were aloof, unused to intruders in this bastion of theirs, but largely good natured and willing to maintain alliances especially for the sake of Ciri. To a man, they doted on her like a pack of particularly dedicated uncles. They made an attempt to be circumspect about it, a good instinct Triss thought to herself, no sense broadcasting to anyone walking by that this child was their weakness. As it was, however, Triss was similarly invested in the girl’s wellbeing and had at least made it into the Witchers’ confidence enough that they didn’t always suppress their fondness in looking out for Ciri. In turn, Ciri loved them all back with the exuberance of the puppy they named her. It was heartening to see the way this group of people who had all been through so much trust and care for one another as they did, so that Ciri knew she could fling herself at any of the adults keep and they would catch her.</p><p>This openness and affection between the Witchers and their charge did however throw into some relief the shyness that overcame the usually gregarious Ciri during her lessons with Triss. It took some time for Triss to realize it, she hadn’t been present for Ciri’s first meetings with Geralt or any of the others, so she couldn’t be sure that Ciri wasn’t just wary of strangers the way the others were, however as the weeks wore on and the grown Witchers relaxed in small ways and Ciri remained gently nervous, Triss began to wonder.</p><p>This was not the first time Triss had taken on a student. Mostly she had worked in her spare time with herbalists and cunning women, those who wished to expand their knowledge beyond the traditions passed down through their family or neighbors. Very occasionally she would take on an individual who had some grasp of Chaos but wasn’t powerful enough to be brought to the notice of the Brotherhood, simply requiring enough direction to keep from going mad with the tiny outbursts of power that spilled forth from the untrained. Ciri was a strange mix of these two types of pupils, Triss expected to keep her on as long or longer as those she taught herb-craft and the rhythms of the natural world to, but the matter being taught often bore more resemblance to the second type of student. And of course there was the matter of keeping up with Ciri’s education in languages and history and politics both great and small, which had been far longer still since Triss had had a hand in tutoring the younger girls at Aretuza.</p><p>With students, Triss knew, getting a handle on how they learned best was important, so she could guide them in a useful direction, so Triss made a point of keeping an occasional eye on Ciri’s other lessons, despite the routine grumbling from the Witcher teaching. She didn’t always sit in obviously, often slipping into the library when Ciri was deeply involved in some manual or other and stopping to listen as the girl argued and pestered and chewed through the books like it was a race, or watching from an upper window as Ciri thrust and parried with her weighted training sword, as deeply focussed as any aspiring warrior. She was talkative once she got started, whether it was responding in outrage to Lambert’s gleefully broad mistruths or demanding Geralt and Vesemir both comment on her sketches of some new necrophage variety, or playing courtyard games with Eskel and Coen.</p><p>As time went on, however, Triss finally did tease out a pattern. Ciri was far more reserved with her, quiet, almost anxious sometimes, and it wasn’t improving terribly fast, so something had to be going on. Furthermore, Triss had to not spook her in teasing out the issue, which was easier said than done, as too much scrutiny would leave Ciri even more affected. In the end it took several days of careful watching of Ciri out of the corners of her eyes for Triss to work it out. Days on end of Ciri dropping papers and looking away the moment Triss’ gaze landed on her, days of wild back and forth between spaced out daydreams and fevered, almost frightful focus on her assigned work. At long last Triss caught sight of a blush gracing Ciri’s pale cheeks, badly disguised under the freckles she had developed in the springtime sunshine and it all fell into place.</p><p>Triss had been doing her level best to engage Ciri in their lessons despite the girl’s reserve, demonstrating the ways Chaos could be channeled to build as well as destroy. With a pot of soil and a few seeds in front of her, Triss was in her element, working fingers through the soil to illustrate the paths of power, then drawing those paths up and out. The gestures were perhaps exaggerated to make very clear the ways Triss was manipulating the energy she funneled into the bean sprouts under her hands, but the point was to show clearly, and magic never suffered from an excess of intent. Ciri was watching avidly, chewing on her lip in concentration, eyes locked on Triss hands. When Triss let the metaphysical strands she was pulling fall still and fade back into the greater patterns that governed the normal behaviour of things, Ciri’s attention remained. Pale eyes tracked as Triss staked the new bean plant and tied bits of string gently about the stems to keep it upright until finally she moved the pot and plant aside and fell still. With a small start Ciri looked up, eyes wide and startled, then looked down even quicker when she realized Triss was watching her, pink spreading across her nose and cheekbones.</p><p>The moment Triss put the clues together it made perfect sense. Ciri was at just the right age to find herself taken with a mentor and teacher. Triss herself had spent time with her classmates at Aretuza sighing and tittering over all manner of persons inhabiting that old rock, from the older students entrusted with some of their theoretical lessons to the occasional glimpses of the researchers sweeping down the hallways. Triss herself had spent months overcome with an exciting mix of adoration and anxiety when regarding the botany instructor or more to the point when <em>being</em> regarded by her, and she hadn’t thought of her in years now, but the feeling was hard to forget, now that Triss was reminded. Surely Ciri would be surprised to hear how universal an experience this crush of hers was, but that was always the way with teenagers, they were forever convinced their experiences were singular and brand new.</p><p>Nothing to be done, Triss knew, either the crush would fade or Ciri would get used to it and not fluster quite so easily, and as it was she was learning quickly and well. Triss would certainly do Ciri the courtesy of never mentioning it, and at that thought she took a moment to laugh inwardly at her much younger self. That was another thing about teenagers, they had a charming and very amusing tendency to overestimate their own subtlety and therefore underestimate how much the adults around them knew about their lives, which Triss almost certainly had done herself.</p><p>Setting Ciri to describing the places Triss had pulled Chaos from for the bean plant, she smiled fondly down at the girl. She had such enormous potential, and Triss couldn’t wait to see the formidable woman she would surely grow into.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come find me on tumblr, where I'm <a href="https://childoffantasy.tumblr.com">childoffantasy</a> and where I initially posted this.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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